LV MUSIC: Easton Corbin packs a punch at Penn's Peak

June 03, 2011

If the future of country music sounds like George Strait, fills a shirt like Kenny Chesney and has the swagger of Tim McGraw, then critics and fans alike needn't look any further for a heir apparent than Easton Corbin.

The young man from Gilchrist County, Fla., best known for his chart-topping debut single, "A Little More Country Than That," spent the entirety of a 90-minute set at Penn's Peak on Thursday night oozing a charm and confidence that makes it hard to fathom he's only been doing this in front of larger crowds for just a couple of years. Dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt, he sauntered around the stage with a collection of acoustic and electric guitars, all while leading his band through every single track of his 2010 self-titled debut album.

Don't let the youthfulness fool you, though. When it comes to performing, Corbin was spot on, and his voice certainly didn't need the backing of any theatrics, gimmicky stage props or blinding lights to distract the crowd. The reigning American County Awards Breakthrough Artist can flat out sing and is inherently comfortable with his vocal range, transitioning easily from more uptempo songs like "The Way Love Looks" into slower fare like "Leavin' a Lonely Town."

The songs from his first-year effort, almost lovingly constructed on the album with the help of some well-known Nashville song doctors, find new life in Corbin's live performance. "This Far From Memphis," which Corbin says is one of the songs he's most proud of, hits on just the right note of creative heartbreak, and the steel guitar-drenched "I Can't Love You Back," which is Corbin's current radio single, has a soaring chorus perfect for his well-honed vocals.

Perhaps out to prove he's not just armed with an aw-shucks grin and southern twang, Corbin also threw a good deal of everyone else's material into the list. He tackled Brooks & Dunn's crowd-pleasing "Put a Girl In It," Chesney's "Don't Happen Twice" and the Gary Allan alt-country rocker "Watching Airplanes." He then turned back the clock and added a little retro-style honkey tonk with the Merle Haggard classic "Workin Man Blues," a song with a shelf life older than Corbin himself.

Midway through the set, fans were also treated to some new material off Corbin's forthcoming sophomore effort (through Mercury Records remains mum on a release date). The cut, "Tulsa Texas," was laced with the sound of yesterday that Corbin is so overly fond of, though he admitted it was his second attempt at recording it.

Not surprisingly, Corbin closed with the sing along-inducing "Roll With It," then returned for an encore armed with a page from the Strait playbook that seemed to suit the ravenous crowd just fine. He worked a medley of three King George hits, including "The Chair" and "You Look So Good In Love," before wrapping up the night with "It Just Comes Natural," favoring the substance over style that could give his career the same type of longevity that Strait is still enjoying today.

Opening was new Columbia Nashville recording artist Joanna Smith, who was given a generous 45-minute slot to fill. For the most part the Georgia native held her own, though her vocals were thin in parts and lost among songs that all started to sound the same. She was better in the quieter moments, including the reflective "Borrowed Wedding Dress," though she played to a mostly appreciative audience, including a small group of fans tucked along the right corner of the stage, shouting out lyrics to songs the rest of us were hearing for the very first time.